


Buona Sera

by Naemi



Category: The Faculty RPF
Genre: Drama, Explicit Language, F/M, Gen, M/M, angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-02
Updated: 2011-12-02
Packaged: 2017-12-04 02:10:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/705305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naemi/pseuds/Naemi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Thirteen years. It's been thirteen years and you want to make up now?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Buona Sera

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Honeyandvinegar](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Honeyandvinegar).



> [set in 1998 & 2011]

 

This was completely wrong. It went wrong from the very start, and it only got worse with every passing moment.

Josh crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. With is eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a tight thin line, he stared down at the boy, not willing to be impressed at any rate by his sobs or the tears that welled in his eyes.

He puffed out a breath. “Lij, will you just—will you please stop that?”

“Stop what? What, for fuck's sake?”

Josh snorted. He hated it when the boy swore. It always made him feel like kissing him, kiss all those words out of that dirty-sweet mouth and swallow them down, keep them all for himself.

He was so damned beautiful when he was upset.

“You're not making this easier on either of us,” Josh said softly.

“Fuck you. Fuck you, fuck you, _fuck you!”_

Okay. Enough. “Don't be such a … _child!”_ A silly offense, but it struck a nerve.

Elijah's mouth shot open with disbelief and he blinked a few times.

Josh saw it coming, but he didn't flinch when the boy flew at him, grabbing the fabric of his shirt, and began shaking him violently.

“You're the biggest fucker I've ever fucking met in my whole fucking life!”

It was ridiculous, and it made Josh laugh, which upset Elijah even more.

“I'm a child then, huh? A _child?”_

“Right now? Pretty much, yeah.”

“Fuck it, Josh, you _fucked_ me. _You fucked me right through the fucking mattress every single fucking night!_ Know what that means?”

“Whoa. Watch it.” Josh shook Elijah's small hands off of his shirt. “You _better_ watch it now.”

“It makes you a pedophile. That's what you are!”

Josh clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall beside Elijah's face. “Don't you ever say that again,” he spat at him, his voice threateningly low. “I'm done with you, _done!_ Live with it, kick the bucket, whatever you do; I don't fucking _care!”_

His whole body tense to the point of pain, he turned on his heels. Blood dripped down from his knuckles.

He didn't know it then, but he'd have tiny scars left from this encounter.

Sometimes, he would caress them with his fingertips and think of the boy with bitter sweetness.

But then, of course, he didn't know that much either at this point.

~ ~ ~

_THIRTEEN YEARS LATER_

Josh couldn't tell what made him pick up the phone and dial the number. He had spent three days in a row simply looking at the note a friend had handed him, calling it a favor, but Josh wasn't all so sure about it. He hadn't asked for it. Ever.

But his friend knew better, or so he said. _Gotta face the truth one day, man. Can't hide forever._

He held his breath when he heard a _click_ and got connected to an answering machine. He was just about to hang up when all of sudden, a breathless voice squealed at him through the receiver.

“Hello?”

Josh's heart skipped a few beats, and he started panting. Fuck. _Fuck._

“Hel-looooo?”

He made a small attempt to speak; his voice came out broken and low.

“Hullo?”

“As I said. Who is this?”

Josh cleared his throat and took a deep breath. This time, he sounded more like himself.

“Elijah?” Fuck his own stupidity.

Dead silence.

Not knowing what to say nor wanting to push the other man either, he waited. His heart was pounding. He pressed his free hand to his chest. _Please, say something._

After what seemed an eternity, Elijah sighed.

“Josh.”

Elijah's voice sounded somewhere between surprised, aghast, and inquiring, but definitely, _most definitely,_ not anywhere near angry, and that was—must be—a good sign.

“Umm, yeah. Hi.”

“What do you want?”

“I, umm … I wanted to say hi.”

“You just did. Is that all?”

“I've missed you,” Josh blurted. _Fuck, fuck you,_ how did that slip out?

“Well, yeah … And what do you expect me to say in response?”

“Can we meet?” So it _could_ get worse. _Thanks, stupid!_

“Josh,” Elijah sighed again. “Just—leave me alone, okay?”

“No, please! I know I've … done wrong. Please give me a chance to—”

“Thirteen years. It's been thirteen years and you want to make up now? What, are you finally going to die from lung cancer and need to sort things out?”

“I just figured I was ready to admit I've been a fucker.”

“Tell me something I don't know. 'I'm done with you,' is what you said to me back then. And I agree: I'm done with you, too.”

“I’m sorry!” Josh cried out before Elijah could hang up. “I'm fucking sorry and I’ve thought about what happened between us every fucking day of my life and I want to apologize, for fuck's sake.”

“And you think you can do so by yelling at me over the phone?”

“I'd yell at you in person if you let me.” Josh covered his eyes with the palm of his hand. With Elijah, things never seemed to turn out the way he had intended. At least this bit hadn't changed.

It was hopeless. Josh had known right from the start that if he allowed himself to develop _feelings_ for the kid, he'd lose. Admittedly, he _had_ lost.

His thoughts wandered off, dipped into a pool of various emotions and memories, which, as remnants of his huge crush on Elijah back then, had been locked away for such a long time.

The good times. The bad times.

Oh, the bad times, even they seemed good looking back now. Elijah was part of them. Everything about Elijah was worth remembering. Things he did, things he said, what he liked and disliked, everything.

Josh had tried hard to prevent his crush from becoming something real, something to cling to, and he had succeeded until they had to decide how to go on after filming was done. Elijah, his beautiful eyes resting upon Josh, told him he believed in their love. _Bullshit,_ Josh had thought, and that was when the fighting had started.

“Oh, how sad.” Elijah's voice called him back to reality. “Such a mean thing to do. How dare I? Know what? Fuck you. Still. Thanks for never bothering me again.”

And that was it.

Well, what had he expected?

The only thing that felt even worse than having to admit he loved this man, and always had, was that Elijah's accusation back then held _some_ weird truth; the thought hit him hard when he noticed Sophia standing in the doorframe.

“Who was on the phone?” she asked. God, she looked so young.

“A faint memory,” he said, and lit a smoke.

She hated him smoking inside the house and he knew fucking well.

 _Fuck that kid,_ he thought, smirking at her.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Josh calling Lij yeeeeears later, regretting their sudden, bitter breakup to say how much he misses him. Whatever Lij's reaction is your choice. :D
> 
> Beta'd by the wonderful **Moit** , who also made sure that all characters were returned unharmed.
> 
> [Visit my LJ-community [Bunny Bash](http://bunnybash.livejournal.com) to leave me a prompt at any time.]
> 
> [Feedback is love.]


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